We congratulate Agricola Chaparral proudly member of our Veggies From Mexico community for  renewing their Fair Trade certificate on Social Responsibility and Sustainability; based on the criteria of the Technical Operation Regulation of Eleven Rivers Agricultores Asociados, A.C., this company maintains their Beyond badge.

We extend our congratulations on behalf of the Board of Directors of Veggies from Mexico, to the management and all the technical staff of these companies, for their work and commitment.

Fair Trade offers an alternative to conventional trade and is based on an agreement between growers and consumers to improve lives and reduce poverty through ethical trade practices. The purpose of the Fair-Trade certification system is to guarantee consumers that the product they purchase meets special social, economic, and environmental standards.

The system seeks to work with marginalized growers and workers to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency, empower growers and workers as committed groups within their organizations and contribute to the creation of greater equity in international trade. Products included in Fair Trademark are coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, fresh fruit, vegetables, sugar, nuts, oils, kinds of butter, beans, grains, wine, garments, flowers, honey and spices, skincare products, alcoholic beverages with certified ingredients currently present in ready-to-drink beverages.

Agrícola Chaparral which is part of Grupo Chaparral is a successful farming operation with origins dating back to the 1960s. The company operates 3 agricultural units that are an international example in terms of productivity, quality, safety, and social responsibility. The main products marketed are Red Beefsteak tomato, Roma tomato, Grape tomato, Lamuyo pepper, and Bell pepper.

Since 2009, our VFM community applies a strict compliance system, subject to verification of the main food safety and social responsibility standards for each participating company. Each company is assigned a level of compliance based on the commercial certifications it holds, Fair Trade is one of them.

The Eleven Rivers Growers technical team conducts weekly internal audit visits of all production areas of the agricultural companies, ensuring compliance with the criteria established in the certification schemes reviewed for our badge. Although the Eleven Rivers Growers technical team cannot revoke any certification, it has the authority to remove members of the community who have any non-compliance.